Corey Day’s NASCAR Cup Series talk continues to grow after another strong result in the 2026 NASCAR season, but recent comments from Denny Hamlin show that major questions still surround the young driver’s future. Corey Day races the No. 17 car for Hendrick Motorsports in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and currently sits fourth in points after 14 races.
He has collected two wins, five top-five finishes, and 10 top-10 results during his rookie campaign. His latest victory at Dover increased discussion about whether Hendrick Motorsports could move him into the NASCAR Cup Series sooner than expected.
Hamlin addressed the growing NASCAR rumors on his “Actions Detrimental” podcast and spoke about the risks young drivers face when making the jump to Sunday racing against the sport’s top competition.
Denny Hamlin Warns Corey Day NASCAR Cup Series Jump May Come Too Soon
Denny Hamlin discussed the recent Corey Day NASCAR Cup Series rumors after Day’s win at Dover on Action Detrimental. Hamlin said the move from Saturday racing into the NASCAR Cup Series remains one of the toughest jumps in stock car racing.
“I don’t know if y’all are looking at the rumor mill, but he’s starting to make things a little interesting. I don’t know (if it’s legitimate), I don’t know. I truthfully don’t know. I’m not just blowing smoke to not get in the middle of it. But I don’t know. He’s very young, man. It would be … the leap from Saturday to Sunday is a big one.”
The NASCAR Cup Series features longer races, heavier cars, and deeper competition than the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. Young drivers also face pressure from experienced veterans every weekend. Hamlin focused on Day’s age and experience level while discussing the possible move.
Corey Day opened the 2026 NASCAR season with several crashes and inconsistent finishes. At one point, critics questioned whether the Hendrick Motorsports development project was moving too quickly.
Corey Day’s Progress Draws Fresh NASCAR Cup Series Attention
Corey Day’s recent wins at Talladega and Dover changed the discussion around his NASCAR Cup Series future. The victories helped Day move into the top five in the standings and showed improvement on multiple track types during the NASCAR season.
Hamlin explained that rookie struggles happen at every level of NASCAR, especially when drivers move into the Cup garage for the first time.
“Sometimes there’s something to be said about just the sooner you rip off the Band-Aid, the quicker you’ll get to the result that you’re wanting. Yeah, you’re going to struggle for a little while, but you either struggle now or you struggle later. But you all struggle when it’s your first year.”
Day’s recent performances have also shown stronger racecraft and greater consistency during long runs. He now ranks among the top rookie drivers in NASCAR’s national series system.
Hamlin admitted that his early opinion of Day changed after watching the young driver improve through the middle part of the season.
Corey Day’s Progress Draws Fresh NASCAR Cup Series Attention
Hamlin later praised Corey Day’s progress and said something changed during the season after the young driver struggled early in the year.
“We’ve just seen this, that like he started the year off and we were the critics saying, ‘Man, I just don’t know about this experiment. It just doesn’t seem like he’s getting it. He’s not fast and he’s wrecking. That’s two. You can’t do both.’ And then something clicked.”
Hamlin also mentioned a possible meeting involving Rick Hendrick and Dale Earnhardt Jr. before Day’s recent improvement.
“It’s interesting. Didn’t he have a sit-down or something with Jr. or Rick Hendrick? I think there was one. It seemed like from that point on he’s performing like somebody that’s aspiring to race on Sunday. And he’s doing a hell of a job. An absolute hell of a job.”
Hamlin added that Corey Day now shows traits that stand out to experienced NASCAR drivers and analysts.
“He’s going to have a really, really fast car. But he’s — as a driver/analyst, I can see enough when I watch in person and when I watch on TV — he’s able to make moves that I know are very difficult. That’s how you know that, hmm, yeah, the ceiling is there.”
With the 2026 NASCAR season moving deeper into the playoff battle, Corey Day’s progress continues to place more attention on what comes next for the Hendrick Motorsports prospect.
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